Encryption is the process of encoding digital content stored on computer systems, such as messages, data, and/or information in order to protect the confidentiality of the content and to secure such content from unauthorized use. For example, a message may be encrypted into ciphertext using one or more cryptographic techniques. The content may then be read to authorized users only when the content is decrypted. Thus, the primary benefits of encryption is to maintain the data's integrity and limit access to the data to only authorized users.
Despite the various cryptographic techniques available, these techniques do not always provide adequate security. For example, various cryptographic products and software utilize long key lengths. Although longer decryption keys are more powerful, these keys are not a panacea, as the decryption key or password may be compromised through cracking techniques such as the brute force method. Although the brute force method generally requires vast amounts of computing power, and more is needed as the length of the key increase—(e.g., a 32-bit key takes 2^32 (4294967296) steps while a system with 40 bit keys (e.g., US-exportable version of RC4) generally takes 2^40 steps), such computing power is generally available at most universities and small companies.
Another example is the use of identity-based encryption schemes. Identity-based encryption allows a party to create a public key based upon a public, unique identifier such as an e-mail address. When the sender desires to send an encrypted message to a recipient, the sender would only need to know the identifier for sending the message. Once receiving the encrypted message for the first time, the recipient would then request the corresponding private key from a trusted third party (i.e., Private Key Generator (PKG)). The private key is then preferably used to decrypt the message.
Unfortunately, once the third party PKG is compromised, all messages protected over the entire lifetime of the public-private key pair used by that particular server may also be compromised. Thus, the third party PKG generally becomes a prime target to adversaries or to those seeking to break the encryption(s). Although a master private-public key pair may be updated with a new independent key pair, this may create a key-management problem, as most users must have the most recent public key for the server.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new and improved method for encrypting messages and digital data content. Preferably, the new and improved encryption method utilizes geolocation data and internet protocol address data to improve security.